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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25309618">Interesting Maneuver</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnapologeticallyMeatwad/pseuds/UnapologeticallyMeatwad'>UnapologeticallyMeatwad</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Internalized Transphobia, Post-Game, Trans Micaiah, Trans Zelgius, an unnecessary explainer for the BK's voice switch from PoR to RD that's trans, but I made it funny there's jokes and stuff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:00:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,141</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25309618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnapologeticallyMeatwad/pseuds/UnapologeticallyMeatwad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelgius has some thoughts on his title, "Sir Knight."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Micaiah/Zelgius (Fire Emblem)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Trans Week 2020!</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Interesting Maneuver</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zelgius stops suddenly in the middle of the dirt road. He looks to Micaiah, and then he looks to the rest of the Dawn Brigade, and jerks an armored thumb past his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man,” Edward blurts out. “You should let us lead if you’re going to keep stopping to talk to just Miccy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius frowns. “No, I must stand in front, and protect you for I am the strongest one here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is what Zelgius always says; no one really agrees with him, not that he’s not the strongest one here but it’s just not really the crew dynamic. But Zelgius is so dead set on things it makes it hard to argue with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah sighs. “What’s wrong this time, Zelgius?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius sighs back. Never would he have expected himself to go from being one of the big bad guys in the Goddess Tower to becoming a mercenary alongside The Dawn Brigade, after Micaiah rejected the throne in the vein of continuing her on-the-ground do-goodery. Which Zelgius appreciates and respects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You call me Sir Knight,” Zelgius frowns, fingers curled around his chin. “I enjoy it, though, it is… problematic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah shakes her head. “Why? Because you renounced your knighthood?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Zelgius says curtly, stabbing the ground with Alondite, resting both his hands on the hilt. “I am very knightly. I find it problematic because I am not really a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah groans; this is a lot to parse, but she’s mostly upset with this pattern. Every day Zelgius does this thing where he brings up a big damn problem he should have just mentioned earlier, it’s almost like he feels guilty about talking about himself. “If you’re not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sir</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius furrows his brow. “I’d rather not say, but the way I was born… well, they didn’t call me</span>
  <em>
    <span> Sir </span>
  </em>
  <span>at all. They, erm, thought I was…” He gestures at Micaiah lazily. “...you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiles. “Go on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahem, well, a girl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Micaiah nods, still smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Zelgius harrumphs. “Therefore…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah interrupts, “I was raised as a boy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius frowns. “No you weren’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes I was.” What a good time to be able to say that, surely she can use that to help Zelgius work through his dysphoria.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Zelgius wipes the sweat from his brow. “This is… unexpected, and yet you go by the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Silver Maiden</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Is that… acceptable to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah nods. “Very much so. Though I don’t like the romanticization that it comes with, I like being a woman.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm,” Zelgius ponders. “Interesting maneuver…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah raises an eyebrow. “Um.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...I just didn’t know that’s an option, is all,” he croaks in his crazy deep voice. He points at his throat. “I trained for many years to sound like this. But it’s very strenuous, which is why I don’t pitch my voice when in my Black Knight helm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah just kind of stands there; this is so awkward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She takes advantage of the silence, “You know, Zelgius, it’s okay for you to be a man if—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—I’ve only been pitching it to make people think I’m a man,” Zelgius explains as if speaking to a classroom of confused children. “See, I’d like to be a man—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—I know—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—but I’m not, so I feel like it’s… inappropriate for me to be referred to as Sir Knight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah notices Zelgius’ cheeks flush with embarrassment, and she feels sorry for him. There’s so much about this world, beyond war, that he has no idea about. It’s like he never lived, and even now, when given an opportunity to breathe, he rejects it out of instinct. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get to decide for yourself, Zelgius,” Micaiah says carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, of course </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>get to decide for yourself, dear Maiden,” Zelgius coos, his voice falling out of gravelly baritone and into something much higher. It’s very soft and she can hear how it becomes the cold, hollow voice that echoes from his helm. “You are wonderful, but I? Most certainly not, I should abide by my birth and…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...did no one tell you it’s okay for you to decide on your own sex?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius bites his lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah chances, “Did you ever ask anyone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius bats an eye at that and shakes his head. “Once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sephiran?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ashnard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he was… perhaps not the best candidate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certainly not,” Micaiah frowns and gets closer to Zelgius. She wishes there was more she could do for him, but clearly this will take a lot of work. But he’s worth it. He was worth protecting from Ike in the Goddess Tower. “You’ve been surrounded by bad influences.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Zelgius rasps. “Maiden, are you positive it’s okay for me to be a man if I want to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah presses her hands up against the armored plate on his chest. “Of course. Why would I lie to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmph, I am unsure,” Zelgius admits, kissing Micaiah on the nose before turning away, his eyes going down the trail at the rest of the Dawn Brigade. “Tell me, Maiden, why are the others so frustrated by me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, they love you,” she bobs up to his side. “They just get annoyed when you only tell me important things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmmm…” Zelgius crosses his arms. “I see. So I should… stop doing that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only when you’re comfortable. Come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes,” Zelgius takes her lead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should talk to Eddie, he’s like you,” Micaiah says casually.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Preposterous,” Zelgius shakes his head. “Edward is quick like the wind, his hits may be weak but he makes up for it in his speedy footwork. I, am slow, weighed down by all my armor and anguish, mostly my anguish methinks, and swords bounce right off me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah clicks her tongue. How did she end up falling in love with someone so oblivious? “Edward is trans, like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...I am not familiar with this term,” Zelgius grunts. “A context clue, perhaps?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our past conversation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” he bellows. “Oh, he was…” He scratches his chin again. “...interesting maneuver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Micaiah rolls her eyes and reaches up to ruffle his raven black hair. “You should just talk to them, maybe join us for once when we’re hanging out in the taverns. You don’t always need to go straight to bed, I know you’re just sulking anyways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that… acceptable to the others?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she tries not to chastise. “Everyone likes you, you’re very funny, and also blunt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, funny, yes,” Zelgius nods. “Alright, I was not informed of this. So commencing tonight, I may…” He eyes Micaiah very carefully. “...</span>
  <em>
    <span>hang out</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Zelgius smiles, and it is very rewarding. “Ah, good. I think… I think this may heal the inner-group conflict and dynamic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been healed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it may lead to more, uh,” Zelgius blusters in this attempt to correct himself. “More </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>, yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Most certainly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zelgius grins. “Good.”</span>
</p>
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